what kinda gas mileage should i expect on my '92 ford half ton?

Question

it has a 302 engine in it and has 145,000 miles on it

Answer 1

I love my Ford trucks. And so does my local gas station. As my buddy puts it: "Fords Suck... Gas." Sad but true in pre-1997 Ford light trucks.

Count your blessings. The 5.0 liter (302) EFI V8 in your '92 F-Series actually gets better gas mileage on the highway than the inline six-cylinder models. I've had a number of these trucks between 1988 and 1996, and they have all been consistent.

Off the showroom floor and properly tuned with good fuel, you can expect 10-12 mpg around town and 14-16 mpg on the highway under real world conditions. Each vehicle is different, but that's about normal when new.

Here are the 1992 EPA ratings for your truck:
City Highway Combined
14 18 16 5.0 V/8 4x2 with Auto trans
15 19 17 5.0 V/8 4x2 with Manual trans

Deduct 1 mpg from each number for 4x4 models.
Deduct 1 mpg for manual transmissions with a "creeper" first gear.
Deduct 1 mpg for trucks with the "performance axle ratio."

At 145,000 miles, things change a bit. Depending on how it has been maintained, and how tight the engine is, your mileage could be lower than new or higher. Most likely, mileage will be slightly lower.

Also keep in mind that the EPA testing was done with normal gasoline in 1992. Nowdays, it is difficult to find gasoline without 10% ethanol added. The cost of producing ethanol remains significantly higher than the cost of producing fuels from petroleum. The U.S. Government, since 1978, has applied tax incentives intended to make ethanol competitive with gasoline in the motor fuel marketplace.

But here is the real issue for you. Ethanol contains less latent energy that gasoline. It takes 34% more ethanol to drive the same distance as gasoline. Allowing for the 10% mixture of ethanol in the gasoline, you'll get between 3% and 5% fewer miles per gallon. In your truck, this means a loss of 1 or 2 mpg.

An F-150 4x4 with the 302 V/8 engine, manual transmission with creeper first gear, having the performance axle ratio and running on E10 (Gasoline with 10% ethanol) could easilly drop below 10 City/12 highway miles per gallon.

Keep the air filter clean, make sure you have good spark plugs, and see that your tires are properly inflated. I'd expect around 12 mpg around town and 14-16 mpg on the highway at best. Anything less may indicate the need for a tune-up or potential repairs on the horizon.

Answer 2

You can check for this vehicle and all the rest (just about!) on www.fueleconomy.gov Happy hunting!

Answer 3

5 mpg. Thanks for being part of the problem.